


Strong Together

by gayforshoulder



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, It's nothing too crazy though I promise, No warnings but a very vague mention of Lapis and Jasper's toxic relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 08:12:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18116813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayforshoulder/pseuds/gayforshoulder
Summary: “It’s not pity,” she said. “You didn’t deserve what happened to you. If anything, it was so strong of you to sacrifice your feelings to keep the Crystal Gems safe."Lapis chuckled weakly. “I appreciate that, but it’s not even really about that anymore. I’ve made peace with it.”“Then what is it about?”





	Strong Together

Peridot was sometimes woken in the middle of the night to the sound of Lapis sobbing quietly in the hammock beside hers, but as time passed, those moments were few and far between. Peridot didn’t need to ask what kept her fellow gem awake, not that she needed sleep anyway. It was always about Malachite. She knew there were times where Lapis couldn’t even close her eyes because in the pitch black behind her eyelids, there were flashes of images of painful memories that Peridot couldn’t even begin to understand.

When Peridot cracked an eye open and checked the time on her tablet, 2AM, she knew that it was one of those nights. She blinked furiously to correct her blurred vision and saw Lapis curled up on the floor with Pumpkin held tightly to her chest.

“Lapis?” she whispered into the night. The crying gem lifted her head up to meet Peridot’s gaze.

“Go back to sleep,” Lapis insisted, her voice thick, presumably from crying.

Peridot did the exact opposite, stepping out of her hammock and going to sit beside her. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want your pity.” Lapis raised her arms and clenched her fists, her sudden movement causing Pumpkin to scurry away from her lap.

Peridot shook her head. “It’s not pity,” she said. “You didn’t deserve what happened to you. If anything, it was so strong of you to sacrifice your feelings to keep the Crystal Gems safe.”

Lapis chuckled weakly. “I appreciate that, but it’s not even really about that anymore. I’ve made peace with it.”

“Then what is it about?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Peridot sighed. The two gems had gotten worlds better with communicating and discussing their emotions, but sometimes it still felt like Lapis had an entire section of her life closed off. Of course, Peridot had learned it was Lapis’ choice whether or not to share things, but she just _really_ wanted her to.

“Fine,” Peridot mumbled.

“There’s no need to act like _that_ about it.”

“Act like _what_?”

Lapis waved her arms around, and Peridot heard water splashing outside from their small lake. “I… I don’t know! Just forget it.”

“You can be so stubborn sometimes!” Peridot hadn’t even realized she was raising her voice.

“Oh, _I’m_ stubborn? Have you ever heard yourself talk?”

“Don’t put this on me! I’m just trying to help! Unless you’d rather keep crying to yourself all the time when I’m always right here to talk about it.”

Lapis froze, her eyes widening.

“I thought we were getting better at sharing things with each other,” Peridot confessed. “I don’t ever want to force anything with you. I want to be gentle. I know how you’ve been hurt and I’m trying to learn. If you share something with me, I want it to be because you want to.”

Lapis immediately protested. “We are! You’ve always been good to me about this kind of stuff. This is just… complicated. The reason it’s so hard to tell you is because it’s about you.”

Peridot felt a tingling in her stomach, but she didn’t understand why. “About… me?”

“Ever since we were the New Crystal Gems with Connie and we argued over who was the best Garnet, I couldn’t stop thinking about fusion. Peridot, I want to fuse with you.”

Peridot felt a blush form on her cheeks at the prospect of fusing with Lapis. It wasn’t that the thought hadn't crossed her mind, but she had _never_ expected Lapis would want to fuse. “Are you sure?”

Lapis nodded. “Yes, but I… couldn't tell you. I haven’t been able to, because I could never put that weight on another person. My emotional baggage. I don’t exactly have the best track record with fusing and I don’t want to hurt you because I’m so damaged.”

Peridot took her moment of confidence, placing a hand on Lapis’ knee. “You don’t have to be scared of that. You’re not _damaged_. Lapis, when you and Jasper formed Malachite, you did it to hurt each other. We don’t have that kind of relationship. We’re more like…”

“Percy and Pierre.”

“Does that mean you have romantic feelings for me Lazuli?” Peridot teased.

She immediately felt guilt wash over her when Lapis frowned. “I mean… I don’t know. Would that be a joke or funny?”

“No!” Peridot immediately blurted out. “No, I’m sorry. It’s not funny. I’m just trying to be funny because I’ve never felt like this before and I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, do you feel the same way I do? Am I attractive to you, Peri?”

Peridot’s blush darkened. “Well, I… uh… you’re quite appealing to the eye, of course. Your beauty is unfathomable. Not just because Lapis Lazulis were designed for beauty, though! You’re so much more than that. You’re so much stronger than other Lapis Lazulis. I mean, not that other Lapis Lazulis can’t be strong too. I just mean… uh… yes, I find you very attractive.”

Lapis giggled at her roommate’s nervous rambling. “I’m sorry, now I’m laughing! It’s not funny, I swear. It’s cute.”

Peridot hid her face in her hands, but peeked out to give Lapis a little smirk. “It’s okay. I’m just really glad to see you happy.”

Lapis lifted her hands to take Peridot’s in her own, letting them fall between them. There was a sudden shift in the room, and Peridot found herself leaning in closer. The air between them was heavy with an undeniable chemistry that had been building up since the moment they first started living together and getting along.

Finally, after what seemed like either an eternity or a split second, Peridot wasn’t sure, their lips met. For a moment, everything was bliss. Peridot was lost in the feeling of Lapis. Their lips moved together in a delicate dance, and after a moment, so did their bodies. They were wrapped in an embrace. As they pulled away, Peridot’s hands reached up to wrap around Lapis’ back, and their foreheads touched.

“That was…” Lapis started.

“Incredible.”

Peridot wasn’t really sure whose voice that was, but it felt like it came from her. But she also wasn’t really herself. She didn’t feel like it. She looked down at her hands to find cyan blue skin. “Oh my stars, Lapis, we did it! I mean, _I_ did it?”

“I’m Turquoise!” Turquoise shouted excitedly. They jumped up and down, stopping briefly when they heard the creaking sound of the wooden planks. It felt like they were about to crash through the attic with the force of their jump.

“I’m _huge_!” Turquoise squealed. With one graceful leap, they jumped down to the first floor of the barn and squeezed their way through the door to the outside.

They skipped around excitedly through the fields, experimenting with lifting water and metal and how Peridot and Lapis’ skills could combine. It was new and thrilling and fun, but after a while there was an empty feeling in their chest. “Am I okay with this?”

They looked into the reflection of the lake, running their fingers through their hair. It was similar to Lapis’, but much more messy with bits sticking upward. They then moved to touch their face and adjust their pointy, star-shaped glasses. They enjoyed that particular detail. It made them feel even more like Garnet, which of course, was always a plus. “Am I okay with being… me?”

They felt a tension in their body as they closed their eyes and looked back in the water again, this time not seeing Turquoise but… Malachite? They screamed in horror, stumbling backwards and unfusing.

“Lapis!” Peridot exclaimed, reaching out to take her hand. “It’s okay.”

“See, I knew this wouldn’t work!” Lapis argued. “I’m a mess! I’m broken! I can’t even fuse with you without thinking about it.”

Peridot caressed her face with her other hand, stepped on the tips of her toes, and stopped her frustrated rampage with a kiss. Lapis immediately softened.

“Laz, this is going to take time. I don’t care if we can’t fuse for very long, or even at all. Sure, it’s very wonderful and reminiscent to feel tall, but I care more about your comfort than anything else.”

“Besides… not that I don’t like being Turquoise, but I also kind of like being together while being apart just as much. I love the meep morps you make to express yourself, and I love watching you tend to our corn fields while I water the pumpkin patch. We don’t have to do everything fused. Fusion isn’t a necessity to me. Besides, Percy and Pierre can’t fuse and they’re still together. Or at least they are to me.”

Tears welled up in Lapis’ eyes. “Do you really mean that? You still want to be with me even if fusion is going to be a really slow process for us?”

Peridot nodded, reaching far with her tiny arms to brush the tears from Lapis’ eyes. “I really do. I… like kissing you, a lot. And maybe cuddling up together while we watch Camp Pining Hearts? If you’d want to try that some time?”

Lapis sniffled. “I’d love to.”

“Perfect. It’s a date! But for now, let’s get some sleep.”

Peridot knew, as she rested her head in the crook of Lapis’ neck on her hammock, that Lapis would sleep soundly that night. Turquoise or no Turquoise, Peridot and Lapis had an unbreakable bond, and they were always stronger together.

**Author's Note:**

> I really selfishly need Lapidot to fuse even if Rebecca already has plans that involve that not happening. I just think they would look beautiful together and I want it so this is my way of making it real.


End file.
